Everyone wants their floor sealed to protect and preserve the life of it. But not all floors should be or need to be sealed. I will try and make this simple. We are referring to residential homes in this post. We will touch and commercial businesses in the near future. I will break it down into 2 categories. Man made tile and natural stone.
MAN MADE TILE
For tiles such as porcelain, vinyl or ceramic tile you DO NOT need a sealer on the tile itself. It is a very durable non porous material. The dirt that accumulates on it is just surface dirt that can be easily removed with just about any household cleaner or plain hot water. Regardless of the type of spill . The grout lines surrounding said tile however should ALWAYS be sealed since they are extremely porous and are essentially sand. They will absorb any and all dirt and spills they are exposed too. This makes them beyond basic or professional cleaning repair as they become stained which leads to discoloration . To insure your grout lines don't fall victim to this we highly suggest having them professionally sealed with either a clear or colored sealant. We do not recommend you do this yourself considering the products on the market for the general consumer do not even come close to the industrial strength products that the professionals use. That's sealer use for tile in a nutshell. Now on to the expensive stuff. Natural stone floors.
NATURAL STONE
There are many different types of natural stones such as Travertine, Limestone, Marble, terrazzo and list goes on. What do all these surfaces have in common? They are all very porous, some more than others making them susceptible to staining, etch marks, chemical burns , and holes . Thats why sealing them is so important. You want to protect your investment. A penetrating sealer is required for natural stone. As it seeps down inside the stone and then protects from within. A top coat sealant will cause nothing but issues which we will get into on a future post. If your stone is not sealed it can easily be damaged by minor spills from things such as orange juice or any type of alcohol beverage. Let's be honest we all spill something from time to time as we are only human. Accidents are inevitable to happen so protect your natural stone and get it sealed . Period.
